Seven Year Journey
by Devil Wolf Girl
Summary: Two people were left behind during the S-Class exams. Natsu, who was sick from a dragon slayer coming of age, and Gray, who stayed behind to take care of her. Watch the two of them keep Fairy Tail on it's feet after the Tenrou Group disappears and maybe even find love along the way. Fem!Natsu. Gratsu!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer ~ I do not own Fairy Tail**

Natsu's return to consciousness was slow going. Her head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton and her entire body felt stiff. At first, she thought she was waking up after a huge fight but it didn't feel quite the same. For one, there wasn't any lingering pains from still healing wounds. Or the headache that comes with Erza inflicted knockouts. Lord knows she was intimately familiar with _that_ feeling. Her head did feel a little fuzzy though, and her body felt hot, which was weird for the fire user. Ever since she started training her magic, Natsu didn't feel the heat like other people.

Not to mention, Natsu had been holding off taking missions outside of Magnolia in order to stay close to the guild. For the last two weeks, the most challenging mission she had done was babysitting for a few days. The S-Class trials were approaching and the pinkette didn't want to risk being unable to participate because she was away on a mission and wouldn't be back in time.

Natsu managed to force her eyes open, only to slam them shit again as the light assaulted her sensitive eyes. She groaned lowly and tried to turn her head away from where the light was. As she did this, she felt a cloth slide off her forehead. Why was that there?

"Finally awake Flame Brain?" Gray's voice sounded from nearby. Natsu turned her head in the direction of the sound but didn't open her eyes.

"Gray?" she croaked our. Her voice was hoarse and talking seemed to aggravate her sore throat, which she didn't even know she had until just now. She heard Gray moving around the room for a minute before returning to her side.

"I closed all the curtains and turned off the lights. You can open your eyes now," Gray said softly. Natsu cautiously opened her eyes and was relieved that the minimal lighting in the room didn't hurt. Gray was over to her left and his steady hands helped her to sit up properly. Once propped up by pillows and leaning against the headboard, Natsu looked around the room properly. Why was she in the guild infirmary? She couldn't remember doing anything that would land her here.

"Here. Drink," Gray ordered as he handed her a glass of water. Natsu's hands shook but she managed to avoid spilling anything. The water felt like the most wonderful thing in the world to her throat. Naturally it was gone way too soon.

"Thanks," Natsu said, letting Gray take the now empty glass from her.

"Feeling any better?" Gray asked. He took a seat in the chair next to Natsu's bed.

"A little," Natsu answered honestly. Her head had cleared up some and her throat didn't feel nearly as scratchy anymore. "What happened?"

"You collapsed with a high fever two days ago. Gajeel said it was some sort of coming of age thing for dragon slayers. It'll be a few more days before it's fully run it's course," Gray explained. Natsu frowned.

"What about the exams?" she asked. Gray shook his head.

"They already left."

"But...you're still here?" Natsu said in confusion. Gray chuckled at her tone (or was it expression?) before explaining.

"It didn't feel right to take the exams if I couldn't kick your ass in them Flame Brain. It's not your fault you got sick with some weird dragon slayer biology thing," Gray said smirking.

"Ice Princess," was Natsu's instinctive response, though she did smile slightly at Gray's words. She probably would have done the same thing had their situations been reversed. Gray and Natsu had always been rivals. Competing against each other in various competitions and fights since they were kids. If it was Gray that had gotten sick, Natsu wouldn't have felt right taking the exams without him either.

Gray chuckled again before placing his hand on her forehead. The cold feeling of his skin had Natsu sighing happily and leaning into the touch.

"You still have a bit of a fever," Gray said. He went to remove his hand but a sigh from Natsu had him replacing it with a sigh. If the sigh was more fond than annoyed, well, it wasn't like there was anyone around to witness it.

Natsu yawned widely and felt her eyes beginning to close against her will.

"Go back to sleep Flame Brain. You'll want to be back at full steam when everyone comes back," Gray said. He saw Natsu give a small nod before sleep finally claimed her. Gray smiled. Unlike normal, Natsu was well behaved and docile when she got sick. It was kind of...cute. Not that Gray would ever admit that out loud.

Gray stood and repositioned Natsu so that she was laying down again. He grabbed the discarded rag from the bed and dipped it into the bowl of cold water. After wringing out the excess water, he placed the cloth back on Natsu's forehead. Gray took a moment to observe the sleeping girl. He shook his head fondly. Only Natsu could get sick just before an important event like the S-Class exams.

Gray gave Natsu one last glance before leaving in search of Kinana and some food for when Natsu next woke. If he knew his teammate (which he did, probably better than he knows himself) then Natsu would be starving the next time she woke up.

They could always compete in the exams next year after all.

**And done! As you may have noticed, this is a rewrite of Seven Year Journey. I decided to rewrite the story for a few reasons. Partly to make it better, and partly because I've confused myself too much with the levels and evaluation thing from the other version. In this one, I hope to make it flow a bit better. Plus there's a few things I thought of that I decided I could add in, so that's a whole chapter or two before the training starts entirely. By that time, I should have things a bit more figured out for what I want to do. Don't worry though, my overall plot is going to stay the same. Just a few small/big differences that I thought would make the fic better. **

**Just like before, everything until this point is the same as canon. The first two chapters will be mostly the same, with a few additions to make it longer. Chapter 3 is where I made the first major difference from the old one, even though it didn't really effect the plot at all. From how I have the fic planned, with my original version it would have made things a lot more complicated, especially around the GMGs. At the very least, it's still early enough in the fic that you guys don't have to worry much about the changes to the future chapters, cause you still haven't read them. **

**Anyway, I already have the rewrites done for chapters 2 and 3 as well. All I have left to do is type them up and post them. I'll try to have that done today but I'm also watching the FT anime as I work so theres no guarantee that I won't get distracted and just watch that all day~**

**I hope everyone likes this new version of Seven Year Journey! Please continue to Review, Follow, and Favorite this fic! I'll see you all soon with the next update!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer ~ I do not own Fairy Tail**

"There is no other possibility. The mages that were on Tenrou Island are dead."

With those few words, Natsu felt her world shut down. Just a few minutes ago, everything was normal as they waited for those who went to the S-Class exams to return. Everyone was eager, but Gray and Natsu were the most hyped of them all. Both had missed out on their chance to go and were beginning to miss all their friends. Plus now that Natsu was fully recovered, she was itching for a good fight. What better opponent than the newly minted S-Class mage? Natsu and Gray had even agreed to put their rivalry on hold until they had milked every single detail of what they missed from their friends when they returned. Except...they never got to.

Natsu heard a group of people approaching the guild, and thinking it was their missing Nakama, ran outside to meet them. Gray and the others were hot on her instead of their friends, they were met with a group of Rune Knights instead, lead by Mest.

"What are you guys doing here? And why is Mest with you?" Natsu had asked, ready to fight if she didn't like the reason the Rune Knights gave.

Mest stepped forward and began to explain everything. How he was actually a Rune Knight that infiltrated their guild and then...the story of what happened on Tenrou Island. How Grimoire Heart appeared searching for Zeref, who was on the island. Then the island was attacked by Acnologia. Natsu had paled upon hearing this, much to the worry of her guildmates.

"Gildarts mentioned that name to me once. He had crossed paths with a dragon on one of his missions. He couldn't land a single scratch on him and barely escaped with his life. He said he was lucky to escape that fight losing only his arm and leg," Natsu explained quickly. Those who didn't know of this development were shocked. Everyone was getting a bad feeling about the rest of the story.

Doranbolt said he tried to get everyone to evacuate but none of them would listen. He finished the story by telling of Acnologia's final attack. One that wiped out every single trace of Tenrou Island and its inhabitants.

"You're lying," Natsu growled, clenching her fists hard enough to draw blood. She lunged at Doranbolt, ready to beat the truth out of him if she had to. Gray wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to prevent her attacking the Rune Knights. "YOU'RE LYING! They can't be dead!" she screamed, struggling to escape from Gray's hold.

"I'm sorry but it's the truth. We've just spent the last four days searching for any signs that someone survived. Everyone on that island was destroyed along with it," Doranbolt's voice was choaked with sorrow. The raw, genuine emotion in his voice was what broke Natsu. She couldn't take it anymore, turning to bury her head into Gray's bare chest as she sobbed. Gray clung to her just as tightly as he too lost the battle of containing his tears. He cried into Natsu's hair as he held her close, almost afraid that if he let her go then she too would disappear.

There wasn't a single dry eye to be seen. Everyone had turned to each other, seeking comfort as they grieved for their lost Nakama. Nobody paid attention as Doranbolt led the Rune Knights away, shedding a few tears of his own.

"We should have been there," Natsu cried. Gray felt his heart break a little more at the sound.

"I know. I know. And it hurts so, so much. But if we had been there, we would be g-gone as well. We...we have to be strong for them," Gray said, trying to reassure himself just as much as Natsu.

"I don't know if I can Gray. I-I can't lose anyone else," Natsu said, looking at him while tears continued to stream down her cheeks. Gray pulled her back against him and she didn't fight it. Natsu simply buried her head back into his chest and continued to cry.

"We can get through this together. I will never leave you Natsu. I promise," Gray continued to whisper comforting words into Natsu's ear. Both taking comfort in the other's presence.

Fairy Tail had taken a hit today. They would use this time to grieve. But with time and each other, they would heal. Fairy Tail _will_ survive. In honor of those that were lost.

**Here's chapter 2 of the rewrite! Still mostly the same as the original, but hopefully a little better than before. Next chapter is when the actual changes appear. I'll try to get it typed up soon. **

**Please Review, Follow, and Favorite! I love hearing from you all! I'll see you all for the next update!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer ~ I do not own Fairy Tail**

"I had a feeling I would find you here," Gray said, breaking the silence surrounding the clearing. Natsu sat on the grass and gazed sadly at the memorial they had made for their friends. Since there wasn't any bodies to bury, Natsu came up with the idea to make a memorial for their friends instead. Everyone pitched in where they could and in a week they had built the Tenrou Memorial. It was beautiful to see, but bittersweet at the same time.

"Why me?" Natsu asked. She didn't even pretend to be surprised Gray had found her. He knew her best out of everyone, including their friends in the Tenrou Group. Just like she knew him better than even Juvia.

"Because you're the best person for the job," Gray said softly as he sat on the soft grass beside Natsu. "Everyone can see that."

"I can't," Natsu disagreed, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Yeah well, that's cause you're a Flame Brain," Gray teased. He was rewarded with a snort from the girl. "Seriously Natsu. These last few weeks have been hard on everyone. But you've been keeping us going. Giving everyone something to do so they aren't wallowing in their grief."

"I haven't done anything special Gray," Natsu said. She turned to fave Gray properly, giving him a slight glare. Gray met the look head on.

"That's not the point. It's not about doing something special. It's about keeping things normal. Keeping the guild running, no _thriving_ like usual." Gray raised a hand, silencing any protests Natsu was about to give. "Just shut up for a bit and let me talk. First, do you even realize how amazing you are? You've done so many things that nobody else could have. At Galuna Island, you were the reason I didn't foolishly sacrifice myself. At the Tower of Heaven, it was you that saved Erza from the Ethernano. When Phantom attacked, it was you that rescued Lucy and beat Gajeel. Fantasia? You were the one to defeat Laxus. Oracion Seis? You beat both Cobra AND Brain. Natsu. You give everyone hope to keep fighting. You have such an amazing heart to both friends and enemies. If the others were here, I know they'd agree with me. And yeah, they may be gone but you and I? We're still here. Everyone looks to you for guidance and advice. Myself included. That's why everyone took that vote. Every single member of Fairy Tail wants you to be our next master," Gray ended his speech and took a deep breath. He studied Natsu closely, searching for any type of reaction. After a few seconds of silence, Natsu looked away. Gray followed her gaze to the Tenrou Memorial.

A solid wooden archway stood in the center of a small clearing. Engraved in the center of the archway was the Fairy Tail symbol. Painted inside the symbol was everyone that was killed on Tenrou. They were standing in front of the guild hall, all seeming to be celebrating something. Lucy and Cana were high-fiving. Mira and Lisanna were lifted in the air by Elfman's hug. Gajeel was leaning his arm on Levy's head and smirking at Juvia, who was smiling. Laxus was surrounded in a hug by Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen. Erza, Gildarts, and Makarov were looking at the others with fondness. Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily few above them all. Everyone looked happy and carefree. Reeded truly had done an amazing job with this painting. To keep it safe from the weather, Gray had encased the entire memorial in a layer of his Nevermelt Ice.

At the bottom, underneath the painting, was a plack engraved with the names of everyone on Tenrou. Carefully burnt into the wood at the top of the arch were the words "The Lost Fairies" and underneath that the phrase "Though they may be gone from us, they will forever live on in the hearts of Fairy Tail."

It was truly beautiful to see.

"I still don't think I'm cut out for the job," Natsu whispered, breaking the silence. Gray opened his mouth to protest but Natsu looked over at him and smiled softly. "So I'm going to need your help. I'll agree to be the new master...only if you agree to be the master alongside me," Natsu said. Gray was floored at the pinkette's words.

"But Natsu-" Gray tried to protest, only for Natsu to cover his mouth with her hand.

"Nope! No protesting. You wouldn't let me so you don't get to either. This time, you listen to what I have to say," Natsu said. She didn't remove her hand until Gray had reluctantly nodded in agreement. "All those things you mentioned before? The only reason I was able to do it was because I had help. If it wasn't for you guys supporting me, I would have never found the strength I needed to win. Being guild master is a huge responsibility that I know I'm not ready for. I'm not very smart, I'm destructive, and I get angry easily. I can't do this alone so I'll need you beside me to keep me in check," Natsu said, smirking at Gray. The ice mage did the only thing he could think of in this situation. He laughed.

"You always managed to take me by surprise," Gray said, wiping away a stray tear. He and Natsu locked eyes, a silent understanding passing between them. "I guess I agree to your terms to become master. Someone needs to be responsible and take care of the paperwork after all," Gray said as he stood. He held a hand out to Natsu, who took it with a wide grin. Gray pulled Natsu to her feet and the duo took a final moment to observe the memorial of their Nakama.

"Everyone. I promise you, Fairy Tail will continue to grow stronger. We will survive. Together," Natsu said, glancing at Gray.

"Together," Gray agreed with a smile and nod. "Don't worry Gramps. I'll make sure Flame Brain doesn't destroy the guild," he teased.

"What was that Ice Princess!" Natsu yelled in response. The two began exchanging their usual insults as they left the clearing, their hands still holding onto the other's.

Tonight, Fairy Tail would celebrate their new Co-Masters. The guild had taken the first steps to begin healing. They could only move forward from here. Tonight would be a time for partying, for tomorrow Gray and Natsu would begin to fulfil their new roles. As the fourth masters of Fairy Tail.

**And Done! I'm so happy to finally finish this one! In my opinion, it's much better than the original chapter 3. I said before that this was where the first major change in my fic would be. In the original, I had it to where Natsu was the actual Master, while Gray had more of an advisor role. He would still help her run it, but Natsu would be the only one with the title of Master. In this version, I decided to make it to where they both share the title. Mostly because I have a little plan where this scenario would create a loophole that they can exploit. **

**The next chapter probably won't be a rewritten chapter. I have a few ideas I want to add in that are best for chapter 4 or 5. It's going to take me longer to update since I have to actually write the chapter now instead of typing what I had already written. Oh well. Gives me something to do. I'll still be rewriting the original chapters but not right away. **

**Thank you to those of you that has Followed and Favorited so far! Please Review and continue to support this story! I'll see you all the next update!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer ~ I do not own Fairy Tail**

"This...is bad," Gray said. Natsu glances up from the papers she was reading to look at her companion in confusion. Gray passed her his papers and explained that it was the Guild's finances. Natsu's eyes widened the more she read.

"We're practically broke," she said in shock.

"Yeah. Apparently we were only staying afloat because of Gildarts taking all those decade and century quests. The money the guild gets from the mission rewards all went to...damage repairs," Gray said. A gloomy silence fell over the room as the duo stared at each other.

"We owe Gramps a huge apology," Natsu declared. Gray nodded in agreement.

"If we want to keep the guild going, we are really going to have to work on not breaking things," Gray said. Natsu sighed but nodded in agreement.

"Problem is, we will need to take the missions with the higher rewards in order to earn enough to keep the guild going. Those missions are harder and usually involve fighting, which ends up with the most damage. And as much as I hate to say it, our fights tend to destroy a lot of furniture that then needed to be replaced," Natsu said, massaging her temple. The silence returned, more depressing than the last one.

"How about we stop for the night and come back to this in the morning?" Gray suggested, setting his papers down with a sigh. The two of them had been holed up in the Archive Room all day, going over the things they would need to know in order to keep Fairy Tail running. If it weren't for Kinana bringing them meals, it was doubtful the two of them would have taken any breaks.

"Good idea. If we stay here any longer my brain is going to fry," Natsu commented. She stood and raised her arms above her head, stretching out her stiff muscles from sitting down so long. Gray copied her from across the table.

"I thought your brain fried around lunch," Gray teased, earning a laugh from Natsu.

"It did! But Kinana made that awesome steak and it was revived," she said. Gray shook his head in exasperation, despite the smile playing on his lips.

Since the two of them were the last people at the guild hall, all they needed to do was lock the Guild up for the night. They decided that Natsu would keep the main key to the guild, since Gray had a habit of losing his clothes and neither wanted to risk losing the key or a rival guild finding it. Since Gray could always use his Ice-Make magic to make his own key, they decided Kinana would get the spare key. She was always the first at the guild after Gray or Natsu. If they were late for some reason, she would unlock everything for them. It was decided that whoever arrived first would unlock the Guild for the day.

"Night Ice Princess," Natsu said with a wave as she began heading in the direction of Magnolia Forest.

"Sleep tight Flame Brain," Gray replied, walking the opposite direction to his apartment in town.

Try as they might, neither were able to get any sleep that night. Both had too many thoughts swirling around their heads to have any hope of sleeping. The Guild was in worse shape than they ever thought possible and it was their duty to fix that.

Natsu, after abandoning sleep as a lost cause, did what she usually did when she was unable to sleep. She went into the spare room of her house and began to look through the mementoes she kept over the years. She kept all kinds of things in this room. Pictures from the guild. Souvenirs from missions. Even the fliers of every mission she ever went on.

Occasionally she would come into this room and look through the stuff she's collected. Especially on nights that she felt stressed and needed a pick me up. Remembering all the adventures and fun she's had with her jobs always puts a smile on her face. Like this one. Some bandits stole treasure from some pirates, so the pirates hired her to get it back. This was the first ever mission she took Happy on. Normally, Natsu would leave the kitten with someone at the guild, but everyone that usually watched him were on their own missions or were busy. After thinking it over (and Macao suggesting it) Natsu decided to take Happy with her.

He was so amazed by all the new things (mostly the fish) that came from being outside of Magnolia. He would babble and try to show Natsu everything that caught his interest. She was all too happy to indulge the little guy. He was just so cute.

At one point, Natsu was afraid she had lost him somewhere in the crowded town. She panicked at first but quickly found him inside the bag of gems the pirates gave her on top of the reward money. He was so amazed by the sparkling gems that Natsu didn't have the heart to sell them like she was planning to.

Natsu blinked as she had an idea. She still has that bag of gems somewhere. If she sold them, then they could use that money for the Guild's budget. All she needed to do was find the gems and a place to sell them. Someone at the guild might know a good place so Natsu made a note to ask them in the morning. Luckily she keeps her place fairly organized so she was able to find the bag of gems quickly. They ranged from the size of a pebble to one that was as big as her fist. Natsu smiled widely. This would definitely help the guild out.

Natsu couldn't wait. She had to find Gray and tell him about this right away. The fact that it was two in the morning didn't matter.

Gray was lucky that Natsu was forced to use the door when she came over instead of breaking in through the window like she would do to Lucy. The reason for this was simple. Gray's apartment didn't have a big enough window for her to fit through. He had a small one in his kitchen but that was it.

"What's got you so excited, Flame Brain?" Gray asked, yawning widely.

"I figured out how we can get some money for the guild quickly," Natsu exclaimed, holding up the bag of gems proudly. Any exhaustion Gray had felt vanished when she dumped the contents of the bag onto his bed.

"What the- Where did you get these?!" Gray asked in shock. There had to be at least a couple million jewels worth of gems there.

"It was a reward for a job I did a few years back. I ended up keeping them in storage and only just remembered I had them. I figured if we sold them, all the money could go towards the guild's budget. That ought to help us out and keep us going for a little while as we try to get everything back on its feet," Natsu explained. Gray was impressed.

"We just need to find someone that can appraise them before we sell them. But Natsu. Are you sure you want to sell all of them? Is there any you would want to keep for yourself?" Gray asked. Natsu shrugged.

"When I first got them I thought about making some jewelry out of one of the rubies but never got around to it. It doesn't matter now. The guild needs the money more. Besides, I don't really get dressed up for anything that would require jewelry unless it's a mission," Natsu told him. Gray frowned but nodded in understanding. Natsu only dressed up if the mission called for it. In those cases, she would borrow something from one of the other girls in the guild. Gray made a mental note to make it up to her somehow.

"Regardless or how much we get from the gems, it won't last forever. We'll still need to figure out a better budget," Gray said. Natsu smirked at him.

"I thought of that too. We could use the money from the gems to take a couple months off from missions in order to do some hard training. After that, those who want to take missions will be stronger and able to handle some of the harder missions. We can offer training to those not currently on a mission in the meantime. That way, everyone can get stronger!" Natsu exclaimed happily.

"You've really thought this through," Gray said, impressed with his pink haired teammate. Natsu nodded with a wide grin. "We can discuss it with everyone later. If they all agree then we need to figure out where they are skill wise and plan out the training from there. We might just be able to make this work," Gray said as he returned Natsu's smile. She really was suited for the job as Master. This just proved it.

The two of them spent the next hour or so making lists of places they could sell the gems after they've been appraised, along with brainstorming ideas for training. Gray made some coffee at the half hour mark, since it was too late to try to sleep but too early to open the guild. It was at this point that Natsu noticed something on the table they were using as a desk.

"Hey Ice Princess, what's that?" Natsu asked, pointing to the item in question. Gray looked over and made an 'Ah' sound.

"It's a letter to the magic council. I was working on it before you came over. We need to inform them of all the events this past month, especially now that you and I have officially become the Masters. I figured I'd send the letter and if they want a better explanation then they can arrange a meeting with us," Gray explained. Natsu nodded in understanding.

"Good idea, though you might want to add in our plans to take a couple months off from mission," she suggested. Gray hummed in thought.

"How about I wait another day or two before I send it? That way we can figure everything out first," Gray said.

"Works for me! Now...What do you have in here for breakfast?" Natsu asked, getting up and opening the fridge. She ignored Gray's halfhearted protests and pulled out several items. Gray gave up trying to save his food supply and joined Natsu in the kitchen, mostly to help the girl find the stuff she would need without having to search through all his cabinets. Natsu wouldn't let him do any of the actual cooking.

Breakfast was eaten and the dishes cleaned after both had their fill. Gray had been shocked to discover Natsu was a great cook. Her reason for learning was that she got tired of making fish all the time and didn't always have the money to eat at the guild. So she asked Mira to teach her a few recipes, which turned into weekly cooking lessons. Since Natsu never had to worry about needing a stove, she had even more opportunity to practice when she would go on solo missions with Happy.

"All we need to do is have you become a cook and Fairy Tail will never have to worry about money again," Gray had said, half joking-half serious, earning a laugh from Natsu. Despite not getting any sleep, the two of them were eager to face the day ahead. To steal Natsu's phrase, they were "All Fired Up". All that was left was for the clock to reach a reasonable time for them to open the guild hall.

**Done! I'm so proud of myself right now! I honestly thought it would take me longer to figure out this chapter than what it actually took, but I got some inspiration and blitzed through it. This chapter is completely original from the original story. If you've read that version you're probably thinking "Duh" right about now. But yeah, I will be rewriting the last two original chapters but I wanted to add in a few new ideas before that point.**

**Thank you to the ones who have Reviewed, Favorited, and Followed! I love reading your reviews so please continue to leave them! I will try to have the next chapter ready soon! Have a great day and I'll see you all the next update!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer ~ I do not own Fairy Tail**

Due to their eagerness to start the day, Gray and Natsu ended up opening the Guild Hall an hour earlier than normal. No big deal, since they could use the time while the guild was empty to work on some more paperwork from yesterday.

"Hey Natsu. Do you think we should tell the other guild masters about everything? Some of them were close friends with Gramps after all," Gray said, after several minutes of working. The reason for his sudden question? He had just noticed a list of scheduled guild master meetings, one of which they would need to attend in a few weeks.

"Yeah we probably should. It would be a bad idea to keep it from them until the meeting. Gramps' friends deserve to know at least. And not just the ones that are guild masters. That dude on the magic council and the scary doctor lady too," Natsu said, which had Gray nodding in agreement. "How do we want to do this? We could see about moving the meeting up a few weeks and explaining there, but we could also just invite Gramps' friends here for a private meeting and explain it then. We can explain it to everyone else at the actual meeting," Natsu said. Gray had to think about it for a minute. She made a good point.

"I think we should tell Gramps' friends first. Learning he's dead will be a shock to them so we can at least make it be in a more private setting," Gray explained. "We can also ask them about what to expect at the meeting. After they've recovered though."

"I'll write the letters asking them to meet us as soon as possible. Say Friday?" Natsu asked. Gray nodded, saying that would work. It gave everyone a few days to get to Fairy Tail and for the two of them to make preparations. "Who do I make the letters out too?" Natsu asked.

"Leave that part blank and I'll fill it in once we are ready to send them. That way I can make sure the letters can actually be read despite your chicken scratch," Gray teased. Natsu glared lightly but otherwise said nothing. She grabbed a few pieces of blank paper and began writing the letters requesting the recipients come to Fairy Tail. While she did that, Gray searches around for an address book. While he had an idea of where to reach Porylusica and Master Bob, he had no idea about where Councilman Yajima and Master Goldmine lived. Or the address to Quatro Cerberus, since Goldmine was their master and could probably be reached that way. Gray would send the letters off when the courier dropped off today's mail at the Guild.

Another two hours passed before the guild began to see some activity. Most of the mages that arrived early were there to get breakfast and wake up with some coffee before starting the day. The rest tended to filter in after 10, unless they were on or returning from a mission. The Guild Hall officially opened at 6, mostly so they could prepare for the day ahead. A glance at the clock told the co-masters that it was approaching 8:30, so they decided to head out into the main area of the guild hall. That way they could keep everyone at the guild for the announcements. Good news is that word spreads fast in Fairy Tail, so everyone who arrived were told not to leave yet and those who were still at home were asked to come as soon as they could. Everyone was assembled and waiting for the announcement by eleven.

"Natsu came up with a plan for the next couple months, so we wanted to discuss it with everyone," Gray started, once sure he had everybody's attention. He and Natsu stood side by side on the stage to make it easier for them to be seen and heard by their guild mates.

"While on a mission a few years ago, I was given a bag of various gemstones. If I can find someone to appraise them, then all the money I get from selling them will go to the guild's budget. Our plan is to use that money to keep us going while we stop taking jobs. Before you all freak out, let me finish. We will only stop going on jobs for two or three month. Those months will be spent training to grow stronger. While we are training, everyone will receive an allowance so you can still take care of yourselves without worry. After we start taking missions again, we will still offer the training for anyone who wants it. The training is completely optional. If you'd rather not join in, you are more than welcome to keep taking missions," Natsu explained. The guild hall was completely silent as everyone digested her words. Finally, Macao stepped forward.

"When do we start Master?" he asked, a teasing grin on his face which Natsu returned.

"I thought I said not to call me Master," she replied.

"Never agreed to it though," Macao said, earning laughs from the others.

"Anyway!" Gray cut in before this conversation could go on...again. "Assuming we can find someone to appraise the gems, we want to begin tomorrow morning. Friday we will be having a few guests so the real training will begin after that. Tomorrow will be for evaluations, since we need to know everyone's individual skill levels before we can make personalized schedules for everyone," Gray explained. A hand shot up from in the middle of the group.

"I know a place where you can sell the gems!" Laki called out, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"Really?" Natsu asked excitedly. Laki nodded.

"Yeah. My cousin works there so she can get us a meeting with her boss if I ask," Laki said.

"That would be amazing Laki," Gray said, nodding his head in thanks. "Do you think they'll meet with us later today?"

"Yeah. As soon as we finish here, I'll call and arrange for a meeting as soon as possible," she answered. Gray and Natsu thanked the girl once more.

"Is there anyone who doesn't want to join in on the training?" Gray asked. Not a single person spoke up. All of them wore expressions of determination as they stared at their masters.

"If you don't mind Masters, I would like to join in on the training as well," Kinana said, stepping forward.

"Are you sure Kinana?" Natsu asked. Kinana nodded, looking just as determined as the rest of the guild.

"I may not be able to use magic but I can learn to fight without it. I'm still a member of Fairy Tail and I want to help protect it in any way I can," she said. Natsu stared at her for a minute, her expression not giving anything away as she studied the other girl. Just when Kinana was beginning to feel nervous, Natsu's face broke into her usual grin.

"Good answer Kinana! We'll be happy to have you join us!" Natsu exclaimed, giving a thumbs up. The guild cheered, many praising Kinana and congratulating her.

"Natsu-nee! Can I join too? Please!" Romeo yelled out. Natsu shot a look to Macao, who nodded.

"I don't see any problem with it," Natsu answered. Cheers rang out once more at this answer.

"Just don't feel bad about not being very strong okay? You too Kinana. Both of you will be the weakest for awhile, but that's why we are training. To get stronger. With enough perseverance, everyone will grow stronger and stronger. It won't be easy, but that's alright. We can handle it. You wanna know why?" Gray asked. You could hear a pin drop as everyone awaited his next words. "Because we are FAIRY TAIL!" Gray yelled, thrusting his hand in the air with this thumb and pointer finger extended. Cheers rang out once more, easily the loudest one by far as everyone copied the motion. Natsu bumped her shoulder against Gray's, giving him a small smile once he looked over at her.

"Well said, Ice Princess," Natsu said quietly.

"Thanks Flame Brain," Gray replied, just as quietly. The two of them relished in the sound of happiness coming from their guild members. Ever since they received the news about Tenrou, a heavy weight seemed to cover the guild. Now that weight was being lifted, a spark of life returning to the guild they called home.

**Yay! Another chapter finished! Still wasn't expecting it to be this fast. I'm having a lot of fun with this fic and have tons of plans for it. As of right this second, I have a total of 70 chapters planned ahead. Now I haven't written them yet but I hope to get that far eventually.**

**Thank you to everyone that has Reviewed, Followed, and Favorited! I love hearing from you all and I hope you continue to support this fic! I'll see you all the next update!**


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